Together At Last
by ladyswan3
Summary: Set immediately after RotG, when Daine & Numair return to the palace. Daine is frustrated at Numair's gentlemanly ways, so she sneaks into his rooms at night. Fluffy :


A/N: This is my first ever fanfic so I don't really know what I'm doing, and I wrote it quickly so please excuse typos. I had heaps of fun writing it though, so let me know if you like it. I'd love to write some more!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tamora Pierce

Daine lay in bed, knees pulled to her chest. She was being silly, she knew, but she couldn't help feeling like a child denied a shiny new toy. So she sulked in bed, trying unsuccessfully to sleep. The source of her mood was Numair- her teacher, friend, and now too her lover. On a recent trip an incident led Numair to believe that his student was dead. Upon realising that she had survived her plummet down a cliff, it had all proven too much for mage and magelet, and mutual feelings of love were acknowledged.

Now, safe back in the Royal Palace for naught but one day, things appeared more complicated than they had on their adventure. For one thing, Numair was determined not to subject Daine to idle gossip. He believed that the ruckus caused by anyone discovering that he had bedded Daine out of wedlock would be far too upsetting for one of her few years. Thus, Daine's suggestion that she sleep in Numair's rooms had been, much to her dismay, flatly declined. She knew that he was looking out for her best interests, but the truth was, she was tired and shaken from the magnitude of recent events. Numair had a way of comforting her like no other could, and she needed that now more than ever. Her temper had gotten the better of her, and she had stormed off to her rooms leaving the mage feeling forlorn.

Numair sat cross-legged on his bed, face in his hands. _If only she knew, _he thought, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. _I want nothing more than to take her in my arms and never let her go. But she is a young woman now..there would be rumours. There are already rumours. It isn't fair on her. There's no way…_With a deep sigh he crawled under the covers, exhaustion hitting him like a wave. He slept instantly, dreaming of her smoky brown curls.

Some hours before sunrise, Daine awoke. She had been tossing and turning all night, and finally, determined, she dragged herself out of bed. Nudging Kitten awake, she pulled on a loose cotton shirt and a pair of breeches. _Forget a breastband_ she thought wickedly. _All the better to make him see what he is missing out on._ Kit, grumpy at being woken so early, was muttering to herself. "I'm sorry, Kit," the girl said, "but I need your help..just a few minutes, then you can come back to bed.". Disgruntled, the dragonet followed Daine out of the door and into the moonlit corridor.

As they had arrived late in the evening, Numair was staying in his rooms in the palace, rather than in his tower. The girl and dragon crept down the hall until they reached the mage's door. Turning the handle, Daine confirmed her thoughts: it was locked. "Okay Kit, unlock this, please". Kit gave her a look of suspicion, but then decided she would rather get back to bed as soon as possible. With a brief whistle-croak, the lock glowed and fell to the floor. "Thanks, Kit" the girl whispered, slipping silently through the crack in the door. "Sleep well!".

Approaching the bed, Numair's large form lay still, his back to her. Creeping barefoot, she reached the bed, heart pounding. Now that she was here, she knew that she couldn't ever stay mad at him. She wondered how it had taken so long for her to realise her feelings for him, when now even his dark sleeping form reduced her breathing to shallow rasps. Gingerly she lifted the covers, and slid into the bed next to the lanky mage. She sidled over until there was a hair's breadth of air between their bodies, and then snaked her arm over his large body to rest on his chest. She was pleased to find that he slept with no shirt on.

Numair jolted awake, and tried unsuccessfully to sit up. Daine held him where he was, tightening her grip on his chest; her other hand found his mouth and covered it. She whispered reassuringly into the small of his back, and moved in closer to his body. "Shhhhh" she whispered "It's only me Numair. Go back to sleep". But she knew he would not sleep now, not when her body was pressed so close to his. She withdrew the hand from his mouth, and he grabbed it with one of his larger hands, intertwining his fingers with hers. She allowed the hand resting on his chest to explore his body. She ran it over the strong muscles of his chest and stomach, shivering with delight at the feel of his smooth skin. His spicy scent was soothing, and she breathed it in deeply. Her hand gently teased and caressed, and she felt his heart quickening in his chest as his breathing became audible in the silence. He kissed the fingers of the hand he held; she shifted slightly so that her face drew level with the back of his neck.

Carefully, she withdrew her hand from his stomach and began to run it through his raven-black hair. By night it was free from its leather thong, and pieces snaked over his neck in an unruly fashion. Slowly, she gathered his hair, brushing it to one side to reveal the back of his neck. She licked her lips, and planted a soft kiss on the nape of his neck. Numair couldn't hold it in; he drew a sharp breath, and his heart sped up. Daine grinned in the darkness; she may not be near as experienced as the mature, buxom ladies Numair used to spend his nights with, but it pleased her to no end that she was able to draw such a reaction from him with a simple kiss on the back of his neck.

Daine squeaked, as all of a sudden she found herself being grabbed gently but firmly, as Numair rolled onto his back and pulled her onto him. She sat, looking slightly surprised, with one leg either side of Numair's stomach. She could feel herself rising and falling slightly with his breathing. She drew her face closer to the man's, and grinned as she saw his face; he was sweating and his mouth was pulled into a slight smile. His dark eyes sparkled. "Well" Daine exclaimed, "It's nice to know I can have such an effect!". Numair grinned and pulled her so she was lying on him, their bodies crushed together. Their faces but an inch apart, his voice was husky: "Magelet..I would be angry that you disregarded our conversation, but I don't think I can resist this particular temptation". Eyes dancing, he snaked his fingers through her smoky curls and brought his mouth to hers, kissing her gently at first, then with hunger and desperation. When he finally pulled away, they were both gasping for air.

Daine sat up, grabbed the hem of her shirt, and drew it up slowly. Her eyes teased as she grinned wickedly. Numair, lying back on his pillows, bit his lower lip hard. He knew he should stop her, but he couldn't resist his beautiful magelet. He grabbed her hands, and she frowned for a moment, grinning again when she realised that he was just going to do the job for her. Tenderly he slid his hands under the hem of her shirt, closing them around her slight waist. He ran them upwards, slowly, fingers gentle; Daine shivered at his touch. Her shirt rose with his hands, until he realised that she wasn't wearing a breastband. He startled, blushed, and released her, letting the hem of her shirt fall back down. "Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed Daine with frustration.

She pulled her shirt off, exposing her breasts, and discarded it on the floor as she stared down at him. He wasn't looking at her, so she took his face in her hands and turned his head towards her own. For a moment he was silent, and then: "Magelet..you can't..I shouldn't...people will talk". "Honestly, Numair. People will talk regardless! Noone but you and I know what happens behind closed doors. There will be talk..there always has been. So just relax! I wanted to sleep with you in the literal sense of the phrase..if sex has to wait until marriage, then fine! But sleeping next to the man I love.." Daine stopped and smiled, a smile just for Numair, and he sighed and flashed her his white teeth. "I know magelet. I feel the same way". He sat slightly and kissed her softly. "And", said Daine, the sparkle returning to her eyes, "who's to say we can't have just a _little_ fun behind closed doors".

She lay down on top of the mage, pressing her bare breasts defiantly against his rippling chest. She whispered something in his ear, and with a wicked grin he flipped her so he was now on top of her. Pinning her hands to the bed with his own, he began kissing her breasts, making her arch her back with pleasure. Slowly his kisses crept up her chest, her neck, her chin, and finally their hot, wet mouths found each other. They kissed, their hands exploring each others' bodies, as if each was determined to learn all there was to know about every inch of skin. Their kisses getting slower and gentler, Numair smoothed the curls off of Daine's face. They lay face-to-face, content gazing into each others' eyes. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over them both, and they yawned simultaneously. Numair, hands on his magelet's waist, prompted her to face away from him. He drew her close into the warm curve of his body and wrapped his arm around her waist, the other gently playing with her hair. They slowly drifted off to sleep, flesh to flesh. "Love you sweetling" Numair whispered. "Love you more" came the sleepy reply. "Not possible"; this was quiter, and Daine couldn't see that Numair's eyes were bright with tears. He tightened his grip on his magelet and sighed, lips to her hair, silently thanking the gods for the miracle that had brought them together at last.


End file.
